49ers’ Raheem Mostert ready to run with latest opportunity

1of5Running back Raheem Mostert stiff-arms the Buccaneers’ Darian Stewart during the second quarter Sunday. Mostert ran for a team-high 40 yards on nine carries in the season opener.Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images

2of5TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers runs after a catch during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

3of5TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers runs after a catch during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

4of5TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts to a first down during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

5of5TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle from Vernon Hargreaves III #28 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter of a football game at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — In November, in a blowout win against the Raiders, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert scored his first career touchdown on a 52-yard run.

For Mostert, who had previously been pegged as a special-teams player, it was more than a milestone. It was a sign he could be a capable NFL running back.

The moment, however, was fleeting: Less than five minutes of game action later, Mostert suffered a grisly broken forearm that ended his season and his immediate chances to move beyond his one-dimensional status.

“My wife has told me that was one of my highest moments and also one of my lowest,” Mostert said. “I’d never broken a bone in a game. And that was my first touchdown. But I’ve tried to move on from that. It’s a new year. A new me.”

But Mostert, 27, is in the same situation as last year: Injuries in the backfield have again provided the fifth-year veteran with an opportunity to play a prominent offensive role entering the 49ers’ visit to Cincinnati on Sunday.

Last week, Tevin Coleman sustained a high ankle sprain in a season-opening 31-17 win at Tampa Bay. His injury came less than two weeks after Jerick McKinnon was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to complications from the ACL tear that also sidelined him in 2018.

As a result, Mostert has moved from the No. 4 running back — that is, a special-teams player — to the primary backup behind new starter Matt Breida.

“I always stay ready,” Mostert said, “so I don’t have to get ready.”

Mostert was ready for his latest opportunity.

Last week he had a team-high 40 yards on nine carries after Coleman exited, and his 18-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped set up a field goal. However, Mostert said the highlight of his day was a block he threw while pass protecting. And he struck the same note when assessing his overall performance.

“I could have done better,” Mostert said, “as far as the little details such as pass protection.”

Mostert is working to become an all-around running back who can be trusted to perform all the duties that come with the position.

He’s already proved adept at his primary responsibility. Mostert, a Big Ten champion in the 100 and 200 meters at Purdue, has averaged 6.7 yards on 50 career carries. In addition, his 52-yard run last year was the third-longest by a 49ers running back since 2015.

It’s a small sample size, but this statistic speaks to Mostert’s effectiveness in limited snaps: His yards-per-carry average is the third highest among NFL players with at least 40 carries since 2015.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was encouraged by Mostert’s latest performance.

“Raheem stepped in,” Shanahan said, “and was really a pivotal part of us winning that game.”

The 49ers are expected to promote running back Jeff Wilson from the practice squad Saturday. And Wilson could steal snaps if Mostert shows he hasn’t corrected a major issue. Mostert has lost three fumbles in his 57 career touches, which, for perspective, is only four fewer than Coleman has lost in 628 career touches.

A year after an injury derailed his season, Mostert knows what else could end his latest opportunity.

“I try not to think about fumbling. Ever,” Mostert said. “I try not to even use that word. We don’t ever use that word in our meeting room. We say ‘turnovers.’ We don’t like that word.”

Eric Branch has worked at the San Francisco Chronicle since 2011 as the 49ers beat writer. Before that, he covered the 49ers for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat in 2010. Since he began his career in journalism in 1997 in Logansport, Ind., he’s covered events ranging from archery tournaments to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.